M6:2561 — غمد را بنمود و پنهان کرد تیغ / باید افشردن مرورا بی‌دریغ

Translation: The vizier said: "He has shown the scabbard and concealed the sword; One must squeeze him without mercy." Meaning: The cunning vizier, in an attempt to incite the king against the jester, accuses the jester of hiding his true intentions behind a pretense, asserting that he must be mercilessly pressured to reveal the truth.

This couplet is part of the vizier's cunning plot against the jester in the king's court, a story meticulously recounted by Mawlana in the Masnavi. The vizier uses these words to sow suspicion in the king's mind regarding the jester, aiming to instigate punishment for this truth-telling annoyance. He argues that the jester has concealed his true intention, merely presenting a deceptive and false appearance of his objective. This act, he claims, is akin to someone hiding a sword in its scabbard, showing only the harmless sheath to obscure the real danger.

In the vizier's estimation, the jester is a liar with ulterior motives, which he suppresses out of fear or regret. According to the vizier, this jester needs pressure and forceful exposure; he must be "squeezed without mercy" to reveal the truth from within. To emphasize this point, Mawlana introduces a subsequent metaphor: "Unless you break a pistachio or a walnut, its kernel will not show, nor will it yield oil." Just as one must crack the hard shell of a walnut or pistachio and apply pressure to extract its oil, the vizier believes the jester must be "tortured" and pressed until the "oil" of truth emerges from him. This resolute and merciless expression illustrates the malevolent and deceitful nature of the vizier, who stops at nothing to achieve his goals through lies and machinations.

I see this as a profound lesson in the psychology of courtly power and those who, in pursuit of their ambitions, not only conceal the truth but also accuse others of concealment. They resort to coercive means to expose what they themselves are ignorant of. Here, the vizier warns the king not to listen to the jester's words or his "culture" (meaning his cunning and trickery), but rather to observe superficial signs — his "trembling and color" — to discern the hidden truth. This calculating and pessimistic outlook is, in fact, a reflection of the vizier's own suspicious and divisive nature, which views every action of others with mistrust and interprets it negatively.

Key takeaways

• The vizier interprets the jester's embarrassment or regret as a sign of his deceit.
• To plot against the jester, the vizier accuses him of hiding his 'sword' (true purpose) within its 'scabbard' (deceptive appearance).
• This couplet is followed by the analogy of extracting oil from nuts (pistachio and walnut) to justify coercing the jester.
• 'Merciless' pressure on the accused is a common tactic in power structures to extract confessions.
• This narrative unveils the mechanisms of suspicion and intrigue within courts and power-hungry societies.